Vocal challenges

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SeilerBird

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... one guy said "hey Tom, you need to sing in a higher register". Duh, I haven't been able to do that since puberty arrived. Meanwhile, given the damage to my vocal chords from surgery a year ago, I'm lucky to be able to talk.
My voice is so shot from old age and too much smoking that I am happy to be able to sing anything. I didn't know you had surgery (or I have forgotten). Sorry to hear that.

Edit: Added quote to keep discussion in contect when I split the topic.
 
Aye, the surgery was an elective and pre-planned, not a big deal. When they wheeled me into the OR, the anesthesiologist came in and I said "stay away from my vocal chords". But the breathing tube has to go somewhere. Haven't been able to sing since. Went to an ENT Doc, he put his camera in through a nostril, and said "Your vocal chords are working as they should; Try not singing for a year". The year is up, and no change.

I talked with surgeons and anesthesiologists before two subsequent surgeries I had. In one case, they were able to get away without intubation. In the other case, the surgeon explained "I can't risk the slightest muscle twitch while I'm in there with robotics, so we have to paralyze you, and therefore have to breathe for you".

A different Doc who heard the story asked "how do you sing in the band?" I said "I lip sync".
 
Wow, what a bummer. What was the surgery about in the first place? I feel sorry for you, I would go nuts if I could not sing. Not that I am a good singer, but I do love to sing.
 
Aye, I've sung since I was a kid, for many years a capella. Now I can't hit the notes and don't have the volume, but I keep trying.

Surgeries were unrelated to vocals, and the dang breathing tube is what did the damage. It's a common issue, and I've had it happen once before, but it usually lasts 3 days to a week.
 
I?ve been intubated  three times in the last few years, that I know of.  No change in my voice that I can attribute to that.  Just age.  It was none too good to begin with.

Seiler, try ?My Valentine? as played by Paul and Eric Clapton.  Interesting modal changes.
 
Russ, this wasn't a gradual change; It was instantaneous.
 
Tom said:
Aye, the surgery was an elective and pre-planned, not a big deal. When they wheeled me into the OR, the anesthesiologist came in and I said "stay away from my vocal chords". But the breathing tube has to go somewhere. Haven't been able to sing since. Went to an ENT Doc, he put his camera in through a nostril, and said "Your vocal chords are working as they should; Try not singing for a year". The year is up, and no change.

I talked with surgeons and anesthesiologists before two subsequent surgeries I had. In one case, they were able to get away without intubation. In the other case, the surgeon explained "I can't risk the slightest muscle twitch while I'm in there with robotics, so we have to paralyze you, and therefore have to breathe for you".

A different Doc who heard the story asked "how do you sing in the band?" I said "I lip sync".
I had half of my thyroid removed. I told my doc the same thing ?Don?t mess up the vocal chords!? However a few months later I still couldn?t sing - no volume, little range. The scope showed no damage, so we were both confused. I mentioned it in passing to my physical therapist who was working on my knee, and she said it might be scar tissue. She felt around, and then over a few weeks broke it up. Painful, but it worked! My volume and projection is slightly less than it used to be, but that also comes with aging. Range is still good. It might be something to check out. It made a huge difference for me.
 
Thanks Pam. Not sure what kind of 'physical therapist' I need to consult  ???
 
Tom said:
Thanks Pam. Not sure what kind of 'physical therapist' I need to consult  ???
I would just find someone good at wound work and rehab. My PT was just a generalist with a master?s in PT and 10 years experience or so. I was actually going to her for knee work when the subject just randomly came up. I couldn?t imagine not being able to sing. Best of luck. How can a Welshman not sing? Isn?t that in the genetics?
 
A voice specialist might be in order.  You think that other Tom Jones would put up with this?

I?m part Welch, that may be why I can only sing half as well.

 
A voice specialist might be in order.

I've occasionally thought of that Russ. Haven't met with a voice specialist since the 80's. I was told that my boss' boss couldn't understand a word I said, and it could be career-limiting. I had my voice analyzed by two independent analysts (both said I was "clear as a bell'), then had nasal surgery followed by another analysis ("no change, still clear as a bell"). I eventually figured out that the guy had a hearing problem (what we'd call a 'roll-off' in the old tech days) that prevented him hearing my deep voice. He also had trouble hearing anything spoken 'fast'.

When he subsequently told me he could clearly hear everything I said and wanted to know what I'd done, I said "I speak a lot s.l.o.w.e.r, and I speak a lot LOUDER!"
I?m part Welch

What country is that? Folks from Wales are known as Welsh (not Welch), spelled and pronounced with "sh". I can't resist teasing folks who spell it wrong. FWIW there is one exception to the spelling (that I'm aware of) ... The Royal Welch Fusiliers.
 
Light at the end of the tunnel? Today I talked with a friend who is a retired speech/vocal therapist; We hadn't talked for some time, and she had no idea what I was going through with my voice. She proceeded to explain how she worked with her patients who had similar issues after intubation. Unfortunately, in addition to being retired, she's not local, but she told me what to look for in a professional who might be able to help.
 
Talking with our friend on the phone, I was reminded of the story of Welsh singer Shirley Bassey, who sang the theme songs for many Bond movies, and was a fabulous singer/entertainer. Her circumstances were quite different, but I recall a TV interview wherein she described the exercises she performed daily to help her vocals return. Story here.
 
When I had a sports card business in the early 90s I became good friends with Lester Hayes, an all pro cornerback for the Raiders. I used to see him almost every weekend at card shows. He had a booth with Cliff Branch and they signed autographs all weekend. I had many discussions with the both of them and then one year during the Superbowl celebrations I saw a film clip of an interview with Lester that was about ten years old. The shocking thing is he had a real bad stutter. But he never stuttered around me so the next time I saw him I asked him why was he stuttering ten years ago. A great big bear of a man got tears in his eyes as he told me the story of a speech therapist he met up with and she solved his problem. He had been stuttering since birth and she was able to clear him of his stuttering so easily. Since he did interviews and commercials for products it really changed his life and his ability to make money. Shocked the hell out of me.
 
I had my left knee replaced last year. I asked the surgeon just before they took me back if I would be able to play the piano after surgery and he said he couldn?t think of a reason why not. My wife was standing there and said she could think of a reason why.
 
Oldgator73 said:
I had my left knee replaced last year. I asked the surgeon just before they took me back if I would be able to play the piano after surgery and he said he couldn?t think of a reason why not. My wife was standing there and said she could think of a reason why.
Interesting question since the left leg is the only limb not used when playing a piano.
 
The original spelling of Welsh was Welch
Merriam Webster "
"Definition of Welch (Entry 2 of 3)
less common variant of welsh "

The internet dictionary states
"Welch (wɛlʃ)
adj
1. (Languages) an archaic spelling of Welsh1
2. (Peoples) an archaic spelling of Welsh1
3. (Placename) an archaic spelling of Welsh1"

So really old people spell it Welch and youngsters like you spell it Welsh.  ;D
 
Oldgator73 said:
I had my left knee replaced last year. I asked the surgeon just before they took me back if I would be able to play the piano after surgery and he said he couldn?t think of a reason why not. My wife was standing there and said she could think of a reason why.
Your wife probably knew that you couldn't play the piano before the surgery.  ;)
 

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